The World Health Organization has confirmed that eight people infected during a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship tested positive for the Andes virus, which is the only strain known to spread between humans.
According to the latest update, eight cases have been laboratory confirmed, two are considered probable, and one case is still unclear and under further testing. The ship had departed from Argentina on April 1 for a transatlantic journey.
Three people on board have died, including two confirmed cases of the Andes virus and one probable case. Health officials say hantavirus usually spreads through contact with urine, saliva, or droppings of infected rodents, and there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease.
All reported cases are linked to individuals who were on the cruise. The inconclusive case involves a passenger who has been taken back to the United States and is currently without symptoms but undergoing further testing.
The WHO has described the risk as moderate for those on the ship and low for the rest of the world. The source of the outbreak remains unknown, but officials believe the infection likely began before the cruise, as the first patient, a 70-year-old Dutch man, showed symptoms on April 6, which fits within the virus’s incubation period of one to six weeks.
